CAMBODIAN PM MAKES PUBLIC APPEARANCE AFTER WINNING SUNDAY’S ELECTION

PHNOM PENH, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen inaugurated taxi boat stations here on Wednesday, marking his first public appearance since his ruling party won a landslide victory in Sunday's election.

The prime minister did not deliver a formal speech at the event, but took selfies with crowds of his supporters before taking a taxi boat ride from the Russey Keo Taxi Boat Station in northern Phnom Penh to Kandal province's Takhmao town in southern Phnom Penh in the distance of 25 km.

Briefly speaking to reporters before taking a boat ride, Hun Sen said, "This year is a big successful year in building economy, as well as democracy and peace in our country."

In a post to his Facebook page on Tuesday, the prime minister said the election was conducted smoothly without any violence and thanked the people for voting for his Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

"The siblings have showed your ideal will in using rights and freedom to vote for political parties that you like, without any oppression or intimidation," he said.

Twenty political parties contested in Sunday's general election.

The National Election Committee's preliminary results indicated that the CPP won the election, receiving 4.87 million votes, or 76.78 percent, of the total valid votes.

With the victory, Hun Sen, who has been in power for 33 years, will continue to lead the government for another five years.

Under the kingdom's constitution, the first session of the new National Assembly will be convened no later than 60 days after the election.

The Southeast Asian country holds a general election once every five years. Sunday's general election was the sixth of its kind since 1993.